Gem, mineral show set for April 9
The Spring Gem, Mineral and Jewelry Show, sponsored by the Northwest Arkansas Gem and Mineral Society, will be held from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. April 9 and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. April 10 at the Siloam Springs Community Building, 110 N. Mt. Olive Street in downtown Siloam Springs.
“We hope people are ready to get out and explore something different,” DeLane Cox, show chair, said in a press release. “We will be observing covid protocols in order to keep everyone safe. But that will not stop our dealers from showing off and talking about their many stones. We invite everyone to come to the show and see our club members demonstrating how to make a cabochon on the club lapidary equipment, and club members demonstrating how to make wire wrapped jewelry and beaded jewelry. Visitors can sit and watch and ask questions while watching the work being done right there.”
After a two-year pause the show has returned with the theme “Arkansas. Rocks!”
The press release stated, “There will be special display cases utilizing the theme, featuring rocks that can be found in Arkansas. Dealers are coming back to give the public a chance to see and buy a variety of gems, minerals, fossils, cabochons and finished jewelry. There is a new special area this year, the Kid’s Corner, with activities for youngsters from 4 to 16 years of age to learn more about earth in a fun way. There will be door prizes, a silent auction, jewelry and beading demonstrations, lapidary equipment demonstrations, and a ‘Find-your-own Gemstone’ gem wash.”
Admission donation is $3, with children under 10 free with an adult. Girl Scouts, Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts in uniform are admitted free.
Cox said the Northwest Arkansas Gem and Mineral Society was formed in 1958 and has members from Arkansas, Missouri and Oklahoma.
They focus on lapidary — the working of the stones, she said, such as cutting them into cabochons, the little stones with rounded tops like agates and jaspers. Cox teaches wire-wrapped jewelry, and another member of the club teaches silver smithing. The club has large lapidary saws to cut big rocks and two cabbing machines to make cabochons, she said.
The club takes a field trip every month and is trying to form a junior member group for ages 6 to 16. They meet on the fourth Tuesday night at the corner of Highway 42 and Lawliss Road in Siloam Springs. Several members are from Bella Vista, Cox said. The gem, mineral and jewelry show is the organization’s major fundraiser.
She said she learned to create wire-wrapped jewelry 26 years ago and fell in love with it. Her husband, Wayne, enjoys digging up rocks and cutting them for the jewelry, she added.
There are several display cases full of rocks and fine stones at the club, she said, and everyone can see them, and occasionally the group discusses them. She added anyone can join the society who is interested in lapidary earth sciences. They have members who do not make jewelry or cabochons but just collect stones and enjoy learning about them, she said.